Mike Elko says Marcel Reed’s 4th and Goal attempt ‘got away from him’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Texas A&M had a chance.
The Aggies, led by quarterback Marcel Reed, faced 3rd and Goal from the 10-yard line trailing South Carolina 17-9. Texas A&M needed a touchdown and a successful 2-point attempt to keep hopes of winning alive, and they’d have 2 attempts to get it done.
Reed’s first pass was in the vicinity of Aaron Gregory, just outside his reach but still a bit of a misthrow on Reed’s part. Unfortunately for Aggies fans, Reed’s final attempt was much worse — thrown far above the catch radius of receiver Isaiah Horton, as shown in the video below:
Following the game, Aggies head coach Mike Elko was asked about the throws. He insisted the first throw “gave (Aaron Gregory) a chance,” then said Reed’s final attempt of the evening “got away from him.”
Elko has been criticized time and time again his season for continuing to turn to Reed as the team’s starting quarterback. He’s remained committed to the thinking that Reed gives the Aggies the best chance to win.
It’s telling of the state this Aggies team is in, but it’s worth noting that Reed actually turned in one of his better performances of the 2026 season on Saturday night. The senior collected 251 passing yards across 25 completions and was not directly responsible for any turnovers.
Again — this was one of Reed’s better performances this season.
It’s not going to get any easier for the Aggies. Texas A&M is set to face off against a trio of great defenses across the next 3 weeks: vs. Tennessee, at Oklahoma and vs. Texas.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
